Harvesting machine for soy beans and the like



July 10, 1928. 1.676521 F. CARTER I HARVESTING MACHINE FOR SOY BEANS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 10, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l July 10', 1928.

' F. CARTER HARVESTING MACHINE FOR soy BEANS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 10. 1925v WzZneJses July 10, 1928. 1,676,521

F. CARTER HARVESTING MACHINE FOR SOY BEANS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 10, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 10, 1928.

UNITED TS FLOYD CARTER, or, GRIDLEY, ILLINoIs.

ARV ST NG MACHINE roa SOY BEANS AND {DI-IE LIKE."

Application filed October 10, 1925. Seria1No. 61,737.

Another object of the invention is in the provlsioirof a harvesting machine for soy beans and the like, capable of passing through a field, irrespective of the manner of sowing tlrereimraising the vines in such manner that the peculiarly fashioned reel member may thresh the beans fromjthe vines directly into the machine, wherethe seeds will be progressively elevated to a position in which the pods will be'blown away and the seeds automatically caught in bags or other receptacles. i Still another object is a harvesting machine for soy beans and the like, said machine being of such light draft as to permit'ready. movement through'the 'fields, there being provided a special reel 'mjember having-jbeater portions that fde scend vertically into the vines and,'in their ,j

rearward movement, thresh the beans directly into the machine.

Yet anotherobject of the invention is in the provision of a harvesting machine f or soy beans and the like having a reel member operated by the draft of the vehicle in member being fashioned with beater members that descend in a substantially vertical i complete harvesting machine that is adapted its movement through the field, said reel manner into thevines and in the gathering movement beat thebeans in the directionxof a receiving hopper, as well as forcing the vines against a yielding grid member.

A still further object of the invention lies in the combination of parts assembled in the to raise the vines of soy beans and the like,

gather the beans therefrom, thresh thev pods from the seed, remove the pods, andfinally catchthe seeds in proper receptacles, all of the operations and mechanisms therefor depending upon the natural'd-raft of the inachine;

Other objects of the invention will appear nection in the following pecificatiomtaken in conwith the annexed drawings, in which- Fig. 1' is a perspective ing machine;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig.3 is a cross-sectional View, showing in" detail the special beater member and itsrelation to the gridportio'n and conveyor members; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail View, parview of wh ever.

tially in section, showing themanner of removing the pods from the seed by blast action.

Before describing herein for soy beans and thelike, it might be said that a problem has been presented to the farmer in the changing-of his crops the harvesting device for the protection of the soil, dueto the fact that the formerly large demand foroats, the

usual changing crop, has decreased to such,

an extent as to practically prohibit planting of this crop to any extent, if a profit "is to be in the'provision of gained. This condition is prevalent through out the country, but especially in theICen tral .West," wherethe oat and corn crops affecting" the soil,

have been interchanged 'regularly, without In view of the fact' that' soy, beans and the i increaslng acreage each year is being planted of this kind is the difliculty. in harvesting,,the ordinary fmethod used being that the vines ,like are good soil changingicrops, a gradually s5 with this crop The only objection to acrop are cut and later threshed. This not-only requires two operations, but also makes necessary the distribution of the vines again upon theyfields, if the fertilizing efl'ect'of the same is to be had. 7 Anotherma-nnerof harvesting is to have a machine drawn a v i through the field, having a beater or reel member rotating in a manner to thresh the beans into the machine and thereaftergto sack the seed.

I Applicants device follows the latter moth- 0d, with the exception that his machine has been improved with respect to the gathering of the beans and particularly withrespect to the beater or reel member so called herein. Referring' to the drawings, appl cants device takes the form of a well known harvesting machine, wherein there is a main drive. wheel '10, surrounding which his a frame portion 11 at ach din the well known manner thereto, said frame portion being adapted to be drawn, as shown herein, by horses, not shown, hitched to a tongue memher, a portion of which is designated at 12.

The opposed end of the harvesting 'ma chine is supported by :LS1Iltlll61 wheel 'DllV1I1g means for .the various portions of. the device originate with the cha1n14, r1 d.-' .ing on a sprocket attached to the 1113111 drive wheel. The chain 14 transmits power toasprocket 16, which m turn rotates a shaft 17 supported in suitable bearings 18,

19 and 20 on the frame portion. This shaft 17haslocated thereon sprockets 21 and 22, which intur'n transmit power through chain members 23 and 24, to the blower elevator,

helix conveyor and beater, respectively,.the

same tobe later described. A

The frame portion '11 is extended in the V manner-shown at 25, 26, 27 and 28, to prochain24. ,The axis 29 is supported at one end by the frame portions 26 ,and 2!, and

atthe opposite GIlCilbYtll-B'Tlfill) portions 31 and 32, which form a bearing tor the opposite end of the shaft 29 at their apex Attached to the'shaft 29..androtated' thereby, are the radially extending series of arms 34 and 35,;whicl'1 areydisposed respectively at either end -of the reel and fashioned to have extendedtherebetween the actual beatermembers 36, said. beatermembers being fixed to rods 37., theinner ends of which are bent at 38, to permit-cam movement controlled .a-,well known type cam structure, -including the cam track 39 and-cams 40. Beater members 36 are here show-a as boards of suitable length and may be- 'used thickness, but other material ifdesired.

a From the above, it may be readily seen that the beater members, due to the cam manner downwardly upon rotation of the reel, induced by forward movement of the; ,harvesten action, will move in a substantially vertical Applicant of heater for operating upon. the beans on the vine to avoid the use of the ordinary cylinder beater, wh clrhas a tendency to scatter a portlon of the beans upon the ground prior to the ascend ng movement, or

I rearward movement of the beater, which seedfrom the pod directly into the machine. Applicant depends upon this downward vertical movement of. the beaters into the vines, to prevent this initial scattering of the beans upon the round.

The bean gat ering mechanism includes further the concave grid 41, disposed in the path of the beater members, and being y1eldingly held in operative relation thereto by means of the coil springs 42. A cylindrical deflecting member 43 is positioned at the lower edge of the-grid, to present a smooth surface to the plants and thereby avoid pulling the plants out of't'he ground, which would result in clogging the grid and drawing the vines into the machine as the beater members force the tightly cl-inging beans from the vinein their ascending movement across the yielding grid.

, Applicant has disclosed but .a single type of mechanism for. producing this substantially vertical movement of'the beater mem bers into the vines, audit is obviousfthat there is contemplated any type of cam mechanism which will produce this result.

Similarly, .but three heaters are shown, and

it is very possible that in the harvestingof different types of beans, an even greater number of boaters might be necessary Also, it will be noted that the active faces of the beater. members have abutments or corrugaytions43 thereon, which have a sort of wash- -board. action on the vines or beans thereon,

in their travel over the grid. c

-A hopper portion 44, disposed belowthe concave grid 41, has a screwconveyor'45 therein that is adapted to carry the shattered pods and seed to'the. .receiving end of an elevator 46. The driving means for the. screw conveyor includes a sprocket 47 ,-.d1s-

posed at the outer end ofthe helix conveyor, and driven by thebe forenaentioned chain member 23 This 'driving, mechanism also provides power means for the flights 48;, th-us .iiorming the endless conveyor or elevator W 46. The elevator comprises the endless.

chain 49, passing over an idler50, which is supported on the shaft 51, the same being held in suitable bearing members in the upper end of the elevator. The flights 48 are adapted to pick ,up the shattered pods, and the seed delivered there-to bythescrew conveyor, and to 'elevatesame'to point shown in, Fig, 4, where the seeds drop through a grating 52, upon. the lower side of the elevator, and through a spout 15 3 into through the first named grate52 with such force as to expel said shatteredpods from the open upper end 56 of the elevator. V .1 1orma lly gathers the beans and threshes the *by'the before mentioned chain 23, which rides p any waiting receptacle, such as-a bag,that has devised this particular type upon [a sprocket 57, having operative eon-Y neotion withsaid fan. i e y Guard members 158 are secured to the [cylindricalmember 43 and extend forwardly thereof in a manner to assist in the picking vines, so that they may be more effectively engaged by the heaters.

Hand operated means has been shown, as

at 59, to facilitate changing the degree of.

inclination of the beater members, and similarly, a second hand operated means 60 is provided for tilting the entire harvesting frame, including the operating portions thereon.

Surrounding the reel in a protecting manner, is a shield 61, preventing any possible scattering of the seed upon the ground, due to the rapid heating action.

What I claim is:

1. A harvesting machine for beans, comprising a rotatable reel, fiat heaters carried by said reel and positioned to engagethe standing bean plants, means for retaining said heaters in vertical position during the rotation of the reel, a yielding grid disposed in the path of said heaters and cooperating with said heaters to thresh the beans from the plants, a transverse hopper positioned below said grid to receive the threshed beans, and a screw conveyor operating in said hopper to remove the beans therefrom.

2. A harvesting machine for beans, comprising a rotatable reel, fiat, corrugated heaters carried by said reel and positioned to engage the standing bean plants, means for retaining said heaters in Vertical position during the rotation of the reel, a yielding grid disposed in the path of said heaters to be engaged and depressed by the lower edges thereof to thresh the beans from the plants,

a transverse hopper positioned below said grid to receive the threshed beans and husks, a screw conveyor operating ,lIl sald hopper to remove the beans and husks therefrom, and means for separating the husks from the beans;

3. A harvesting and threshingmachinefor beans, comprising a rotary reel, a plurality of flat heaters carried by said reel and positioned to vengage the standing bean plants, mechanism for retaining said heaters. in vertical position during the rotation of the reel, a yielding grid disposed in the path of said heaters to be engaged and depressed cal member and adapted to raise the plants ,intoposition to be engaged by said heaters. In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

FLOYD CARTER. 

